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DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime #13
Lock Keeper: He Watches. He Waits. He Strikes: A DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thriller - Book 13
First he watches. Then he strikes.IS THE TOWPATH PROWLER BACK?Along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal near Skipton, where peaceful narrowboats drift through idyllic Yorkshire countryside, it's happening again.
Women report being watched. Lone joggers feel eyes following them along the towpath. Cyclists hear footsteps in the dusk.
Every woman knows that fear.
DCI Finnegan remembers 1995. He was a young officer when the Towpath Prowler terrorized this same lonely stretch of canal. Five brutal attacks. One woman who vanished without a trace. Then the predator disappeared, leaving the case unsolved.
Now DI Prisha Kumar pulls the dusty file from the cold case archive. The pattern is voyeurism, escalation, violence.
But is this a copycat learning from an old case? Or has the original predator returned after thirty years?
As the attacks escalate, Finnegan knows the clock is ticking. Because the Prowler doesn't just watch.
He takes. And he's already chosen his next victim.
A gripping thriller from bestselling author Ely North. Perfect for fans of Peter James and Val McDermid.
Women report being watched. Lone joggers feel eyes following them along the towpath. Cyclists hear footsteps in the dusk.
Every woman knows that fear.
DCI Finnegan remembers 1995. He was a young officer when the Towpath Prowler terrorized this same lonely stretch of canal. Five brutal attacks. One woman who vanished without a trace. Then the predator disappeared, leaving the case unsolved.
Now DI Prisha Kumar pulls the dusty file from the cold case archive. The pattern is voyeurism, escalation, violence.
But is this a copycat learning from an old case? Or has the original predator returned after thirty years?
As the attacks escalate, Finnegan knows the clock is ticking. Because the Prowler doesn't just watch.
He takes. And he's already chosen his next victim.
A gripping thriller from bestselling author Ely North. Perfect for fans of Peter James and Val McDermid.
486 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2026
About the author
Ely North
37 books36 followersEly North writes British crime fiction the way his detectives drink—steadily, seriously, and with the occasional lapse in judgement.
He is the author of the DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thrillers and the DI Prisha Kumar Yorkshire Cold Case Mysteries, fast-paced police procedurals set in Whitby and across North Yorkshire. His books have amassed tens of millions of pages read on Kindle Unlimited, with readers across the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Europe and beyond.
Ely writes about Whitby because it is the most beautiful and atmospheric place he knows—and he has never trusted anywhere that pretty.
At the centre of the DCI Finnegan series is Frank Finnegan—old, old-school, and not remotely bothered about either. Raised on The Sweeney and seventies cop shows, he still thinks Regan and Carter had the right idea about most things. Finnegan doesn't have much time for procedure, feelings or technology. He'd rather get on with the bit that matters—catching the bastards.
The setting matters almost as much as the murders. Whitby brings the harbour, the abbey, the 199 Steps, sea fret rolling in off the North Sea, cobbled streets, narrow alleys and hidden-away yards. Bodies are supplied courtesy of Ely. Readers have been known to follow the investigations on Google Maps, and a few have even booked holidays inspired by the books. None, so far, have been found unresponsive on the beach—touch wood.
Ely doesn't write cosy crime, but neither does he dwell on gore for the sake of it. He writes about coppers who are good at their jobs and bad at most other things, villains who believe they're the hero, and the kind of gallows humour that gets you through a twelve-hour shift—or a long-running series.
If you grew up with Taggart, Morse, Columbo, Heartbeat and The Professionals, and have spent the years since wondering where all the proper coppers went, you may just have found them.
When he isn't killing people on paper, Ely cooks. Badly, according to his wife. Enthusiastically, according to him. The cats—of which he has none—have refused to comment, as have his daughters, of which he has two.
He is the author of the DCI Finnegan Yorkshire Crime Thrillers and the DI Prisha Kumar Yorkshire Cold Case Mysteries, fast-paced police procedurals set in Whitby and across North Yorkshire. His books have amassed tens of millions of pages read on Kindle Unlimited, with readers across the UK, US, Australia, Canada, Europe and beyond.
Ely writes about Whitby because it is the most beautiful and atmospheric place he knows—and he has never trusted anywhere that pretty.
At the centre of the DCI Finnegan series is Frank Finnegan—old, old-school, and not remotely bothered about either. Raised on The Sweeney and seventies cop shows, he still thinks Regan and Carter had the right idea about most things. Finnegan doesn't have much time for procedure, feelings or technology. He'd rather get on with the bit that matters—catching the bastards.
The setting matters almost as much as the murders. Whitby brings the harbour, the abbey, the 199 Steps, sea fret rolling in off the North Sea, cobbled streets, narrow alleys and hidden-away yards. Bodies are supplied courtesy of Ely. Readers have been known to follow the investigations on Google Maps, and a few have even booked holidays inspired by the books. None, so far, have been found unresponsive on the beach—touch wood.
Ely doesn't write cosy crime, but neither does he dwell on gore for the sake of it. He writes about coppers who are good at their jobs and bad at most other things, villains who believe they're the hero, and the kind of gallows humour that gets you through a twelve-hour shift—or a long-running series.
If you grew up with Taggart, Morse, Columbo, Heartbeat and The Professionals, and have spent the years since wondering where all the proper coppers went, you may just have found them.
When he isn't killing people on paper, Ely cooks. Badly, according to his wife. Enthusiastically, according to him. The cats—of which he has none—have refused to comment, as have his daughters, of which he has two.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
October 21, 2026
love it
Love this series keeps you thinking till the end. Can’t wait for t
He next one to come out. Brilliant
Love this series keeps you thinking till the end. Can’t wait for t
He next one to come out. Brilliant
October 20, 2026
This is the 13th book of the DCI Finnegan series and I think it’s the best yet! A great story, with excellent characters at a great pace too!
Can’t wait for number 14!
Can’t wait for number 14!
Read
October 19, 2026Another winner from Ely North. The characters are great.
October 5, 2026
Brilliant
I can’t believe I’ve come to the end of the series for now.Ive just discovered Ely North and have read all 13 one after the other. I .love the characters which is the most important thing for me ,the settings and excellent stories that didn’t get same at all.Ill really miss Frank Prisha and Zac .Not forgetting Dinkel ,I have a real soft spot for him.
I can’t believe I’ve come to the end of the series for now.Ive just discovered Ely North and have read all 13 one after the other. I .love the characters which is the most important thing for me ,the settings and excellent stories that didn’t get same at all.Ill really miss Frank Prisha and Zac .Not forgetting Dinkel ,I have a real soft spot for him.
October 27, 2026
I think this series has gotten better and better! There have been inconsistencies in the development of the characters, but it seems like the author has figured it out. I look forward to Frank and the gang returning.
October 6, 2026
Intriguing
Another intriguing case for Frank and the team.. Kept me gripped from start to finish. Looking forward to the next book.
Another intriguing case for Frank and the team.. Kept me gripped from start to finish. Looking forward to the next book.
October 9, 2026
Intriguing
A copycat serial killer and good police work ensure he his put away. A thirty year old mystery is resolved and the one nobody suspected gets his just deserts. But why?
A copycat serial killer and good police work ensure he his put away. A thirty year old mystery is resolved and the one nobody suspected gets his just deserts. But why?
October 24, 2026
Frank and team get it done
they get on a case of a serial killer. it takes them to the edge of sanity. do they finally figure it out
they get on a case of a serial killer. it takes them to the edge of sanity. do they finally figure it out
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews